


Baby in a Trench Coat

by SailorChibi



Series: Post-Purgatory Babes [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Age Regression, Angst and Fluff, Baby Castiel, Bathing/Washing, Big Brother Gabriel, Caregiver Dean Winchester, Carrying, Castiel (Supernatural) Angst, Castiel (Supernatural) Gets a Hug, Castiel (Supernatural) Needs a Hug, Castiel and Gabriel (Supernatural) are Siblings, Daddy Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Angst, Diapers, Fluff, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic sharing of a bed, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Gabriel, Sam Winchester is So Done, bottles, dean winchester is a good parent, little castiel, sam winchester is confused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-02-29 19:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18784558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: After returning from Purgatory, Dean finds it hard to adjust. He's not really sure what to think when Gabriel shows up unexpectedly, Cas in tow, and finds out that leaving Cas behind in Purgatory did more damage than Dean could ever have imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

Dean rolled over and stared at the ceiling. The only sounds in the room were that of Sam's breathing and the creaky, old air conditioning system. Sam was sound asleep and had been for several hours now, but, even though he was exhausted, Dean just couldn't seem to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Castiel's face.

"Stupid angel," he muttered under his breath, sitting up and punching at his pillow. A bed was surprisingly uncomfortable after over a year of resting on the hard ground. But Sam would just look at him weird if Dean crashed on the floor. Or worse, he'd give Dean another lecture about the kind of germs you could find in hotel rooms. 

Sam just didn't get it. That was the problem. Dean would _love_ to be able to fall asleep in a bed. He'd love to be able to get a full night's sleep. He'd love to wake up rested and ready to hit the road, searching for their next hunt. But it wasn't that easy. Never before had Dean Winchester struggled with insomnia, but he was suddenly much more understanding of that insomniac werewolf they'd faced once.

He rolled over before laying back down, looking at Sam. From here, he could just make out the way that Sam's chest rose and fell with each breath. It was easy to see considering that Sam had tossed the blanket aside and was sleeping with his legs and arms spread wide. Dean had to wonder how Sam had ever shared a bed with that Amelia chick.

Dean stayed in the bed for another half an hour before he gave up. Just as the sun was cresting the horizon, he got up and hauled on jeans, a t-shirt and a plaid button-down, then snuck out of the hotel room. It was unusually cool and he shivered a little. Something else that was different from Purgatory, where the days and nights had blurred together and the temperature had rarely changed.

He locked the door behind him and headed across the street to the little diner that he and Sam had had dinner in the night before. As he walked in, he automatically scanned the diner. The only other occupants were a cook in the kitchen, a very tired looking waitress manning the counter, a couple of truckers in the back corner, and a short guy sitting in a booth on the other side.

He started to walk to the counter, then stopped. Very slowly, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him and half-hoping that they weren't, he backed up and walked towards the booth. His heart pounded in his chest as he came up level with the booth and got his first good look at the guy sitting there.

"You gotta be shittin' me," Dean said.

"Hi to you too," Gabriel said, tossing Dean a careless salute. "What took so long?"

Dean stared at him, shifting his weight from foot to foot, and finally said, "It's 5:30 in the morning."

"You weren't sleeping," Gabriel said simply.

"Okay, number one that's really creepy. And number two, stop invading my privacy." Dean considered, for a few seconds, just walking away, but he had the feeling that it would only end with Gabriel chasing him down somewhere else. Whatever this conversation was about, it was probably best held away from prying ears and eyes - and that included Sam.

So he sat in the booth across from Gabriel, giving the archangel a hard look as the waitress came over with menus. Gabriel didn't look very good. He was thinner than Dean remembered, with straggly hair down to his shoulders and a tired expression. He asked the waitress for coffee with six sugars in a quiet voice. Dean made a face and ordered his coffee black.

"Black? Seriously? You trying to compensate for something?" Gabriel asked, both eyebrows raised.

"At least I'm not trying to work myself into a sugar coma," Dean countered. Truthfully, he usually did like a little cream and sugar in his coffee if he was alone. But he wasn't about to admit that to Gabriel.

"It's been a long fucking few years. I need the energy," Gabriel said, and for once it didn't sound like he was joking around.

The waitress returned and set their coffees down, then took their orders and left again. In her wake, an uncomfortable silence fell that Dean wasn't sure how to break. He watched Gabriel sip at his coffee and wondered how Gabriel had come to be here, when last Dean had heard Gabriel was still dead.

Finally, he just came right out with it and asked. "I thought you were dead?"

"I was," Gabriel said. "But I'm not now."

"Okay. How?" Dean asked bluntly.

"You weren't the only person trapped in Purgatory," Gabriel said.

Dean froze, because he hadn't expected that. "You were there too?"

Gabriel smiled bitterly over his mug. "Turns out that when archangels are killed by other archangels, it's not nearly so easy as dying. I'm still putting myself back together. It took me forever to track you and Sammy down."

"How did you get out?" Dean said, his mind racing. He was almost afraid to ask about the elephant in the room. He licked his lips, trying to gather the courage, and Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"Oh for - just _ask_ , Dean-o."

"Cas?" Dean whispered.

"I have him," Gabriel said, no beating around the bush, and the hard ball of tension in Dean's chest abruptly eased. For the first time since he'd escaped Purgatory, Dean felt like he could breathe again.

"How is he? Where is he? Why isn't he with you? Does -" Dean stopped, both because Gabriel was holding up a hand and because he didn't want to ask Gabriel, of all people, whether Castiel hated him. 

"He's fine for the most part," Gabriel said. "But..."

"But?" Dean repeated.

"He's not the angel you knew, Dean. Purgatory... it's harder on angels than humans." Gabriel's eyes flicked away briefly, like he was looking at something Dean couldn't see. Dean resisted the urge to follow Gabriel's gaze. He knew there was nothing there. He'd gone through the same song and dance with Sam multiple times, and Sam got mad every single time and would accuse Dean of staring off into space instead of listening.

But Dean wasn't just staring off into space. He was remembering.

"Tell me," Dean said, trying to keep his voice level, and took a sip of his coffee to hid the tremble working its way through him.

"His mind was broken by Purgatory. He... he acts like a human child," Gabriel said bluntly. "Not all the time, but most of the time. He... I'm doing what I can, but I - I'm not used to it, and it's hard." He rubbed a shaking hand over his face. "He needs more than what I can give him, honestly. I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

Dean sat there for a moment, absorbing this. Then he said, "What do you mean, a human child?"

"His grace has dwindled to next to nothing. It's going to take a lot of time to build it back up. So he needs to eat and shit and, you know, sustain his vessel somehow. But he can't control any of it or even feed himself." Gabriel was visibly drooping with each word he spoke. "He cries constantly. I think he misses you."

"Are you serious right now?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes. "Is this another stupid joke?"

"I wish," Gabriel said with a bitter laugh. "I've never seen an angel get stripped down to their basics like this. It's - fuck, Dean, I wouldn't be here if I was capable of taking care of him by myself. I'm so far in over my head right now." His voice cracked.

Dean just looked at Gabriel for the longest time. If it were anyone else, Dean might've thought this really was another joke. But right now there was something honest about the desperate look in Gabriel's eyes. He thought back to before they'd been trapped in Purgatory, when Castiel had lost his mind after helping Sam. Obviously that situation hadn't been as dire, but Castiel hadn't been able to look after himself then either.

He thought back the time he'd called Castiel a "baby in a trench coat". He'd never expected that comment might come back to bite them all in the ass like this.

"I want to see him," Dean said. He swallowed hard and drained his mug of coffee.

"Done," Gabriel said, getting up.

"Hey wait, your food!" the waitress shouted.

Dean peeled off a couple bills and threw them on the table without answering. He'd never been less hungry in his life. He followed Gabriel out of the diner and was unsurprised when Gabriel gripped his arm the instant they were out of view of the people inside. The world turned upside down, the diner disappeared, and the next thing Dean knew he was standing inside of a familiar, shitty motel room.

"You've got to be joking. You're staying in the same motel as us?" Dean said.

Gabriel threw him a flat look. "Do you see anywhere else we could've stayed?" he snapped back. "This town is so small it only has one motel."

He moved closer to the furthest bed from the door as he spoke. Golden light surrounded the bed in a bubble. Gabriel snapped his fingers and the light dissolved, revealing the bunched up covers. They shifted immediately, revealing a flushed and familiar face. As soon as Castiel saw them, his face screwed up and he started to cry.

Dean was jolted into motion before he could stop himself; he'd spent the better part of his life tending to Sam, and his body was conditioned to respond to the wails of a baby whether he liked it or not. He was across the room before he even registered he was moving, reaching out to Castiel.

"Hey, no, shh. Don't cry, Cas. You don't need to cry. It's okay." Dean sat on the bed and pulled Castiel up into a hug. It was a little weird, sort of awkward, because Castiel was still in Jimmy's very adult body. But the way Castiel snuffled and nuzzled into Dean's neck was entirely infant-like.

He rubbed Castiel's back, looking up at Gabriel. "How long is he going to be like this? Does he even know what's going on? How did he get out of Purgatory? How did _you_ get out of Purgatory? How long have you been out, and why didn't you come find us sooner? Why didn't -"

"Whoa," Gabriel said, holding his hands up. "I'll answer whatever questions you want, but - but please take care of Cassie first."

Dean frowned at him, but figured that was fair. "You said he can't control anything."

Gabriel nodded miserably. "He pissed on me last night."

For the record, Dean tried hard not to laugh. He failed, but he did try. "Okay. Snap me up some diapers and wipes and, uh, anything else a baby needs, I guess."

"Which is...?" Gabriel said expectantly.

"Dude, are you serious right now?"

Gabriel threw his hands up. "I'm an angel, Dean! I don't deal with human children. Ever. Angels come into being fully formed. There is no growing involved. Cassie shouldn't be like this, except that he was inside of his human vessel when it happened. A vessel he's gotten way too attached to. Don't you think I would've helped him by now if I knew how?!" He was practically shouting by the end of it.

Castiel began to cry. It was the deep, panicked sobbing of a baby upset because someone else was upset. Dean glowered at Gabriel even as he hugged Castiel closer. As weird as this was, and it was _definitely_ weird, it was making him remember all the nights he'd done the same thing for Sam back when John used to leave them to go hunting.

"Alright, calm down. Babies can sense your emotions," Dean said briskly. "From what you're saying, Cas needs the works right now. I'll make up a list and you can either snap it up or go get it. Once we get Cas settled, you're telling me everything. Got it?"

Looking relieved that Dean had taken charge, Gabriel nodded. "Yes. Anything. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

Dean cast his mind back to everything six-month-old Sam had needed. He didn't know what was going on with Castiel, and he definitely didn't know whether Castiel was really mentally like a baby right now, but he figured it was better safe than sorry. He grabbed a notepad off the nightstand, uncapped a pan, and started scribbling out a list.


	2. Chapter 2

After Gabriel disappeared with the list clutched in both hands, Dean turned back to Castiel to really get a good look at him. Right off the bat he could tell that the first order would be a bath, because Castiel was _filthy_. Even worse than Dean himself had been when he first got out of Purgatory. He looked like he’d been rolling around in mud puddles – and for all Dean knew, he had been.

He wondered, for a moment, why Gabriel hadn’t just used grace to take care of Castiel. But then he reconsidered, remembering how wan and thin Gabriel himself had looked. Perhaps Gabriel just didn’t have the juice to do it. He had said that Purgatory was harder on angels than humans, and that Gabriel was still putting himself back together. Dean had been put through the ringer so he could only imagine what Castiel and Gabriel had been through.

“You’re gonna be a whole new pain in the ass now, aren’t you?” Dean said. Castiel’s eyes moved to him as he spoke. He stared at Dean with intense scrutiny, much the way he had when they’d first met. Dean found that he didn’t mind so much. Castiel had stopped crying, at least.

Dean sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. This was really, _super_ weird, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk away no matter how far outside his comfort zone this was. His whole life had been spent worrying about Sam, but he couldn’t deny that much of the past four years had been spent worrying about Castiel too. There was just something about the angel that Dean couldn’t ignore. He didn’t know what it was – he was afraid to even try to put a name to it – but that feeling held him in place as Castiel snuffled quietly.

“Can you hear me, Cas? Can you talk?” Dean asked, leaning over to look directly into Castiel’s face. “Talk to me. Tell me what an asshole I am, or how frustrated you are that I never listen, or how mad you are that I left you behind. Just say _something_.”

Castiel breathed quietly but didn’t speak. His eyes remained on Dean, so Dean knew that he was at least aware. But he didn’t seem capable of speech, and there was an unfocused quality about his eyes. Like the way he used to look back when they first met and Dean and Sam would do something undeniably human, and Castiel would tilt his head and give them an utterly bewildered look, but deeper. Much deeper. 

He dared to set a hand on Castiel’s shoulder, wondering if the angel would pull away. He found himself unsurprised when Castiel didn’t. After all, Castiel had always been handsy. How many times had Dean told him off for not regarding personal space? He’d lost count. There was something ironic about the fact that, especially while trapped in Purgatory, Dean had grown to miss those touches so much. 

“Talk to me, Cas,” Dean whispered again, leaning in closer. He waited, hoping to hear Castiel’s deep voice respond and tell him everything was okay. Gabriel had said that Castiel was acting like a human child, but even little kids were capable of saying a word or two.

But there was nothing. Castiel remained quiet, and Dean sighed in disappointment. Gabriel had also said he knew next to nothing about children, and he was beginning to suspect that Gabriel might have misjudged what mental age Castiel was stuck at right now. If Castiel had really regressed then it was possible he was starting out where all humans did: as a baby.

That was a troubling thought for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was how _helpless_ Castiel was right now. He wasn’t capable of doing anything: not flying, not fighting, not research, not even feeding or, if Gabriel was to believed, controlling his bladder and bowels or bathing. He was going to need a level of help that went far beyond reading stories and offering candy. No wonder Gabriel was completely in over his head. This was enough to make even Dean’s head spin, and he’d spent most of his childhood caring for a baby!

“Okay. When your big brother gets back, we’re all going to have a really long conversation. For now, how about a bath?” Dean suggested. He got up and looked down at Castiel. Jimmy, thankfully, had been a few inches shorter than Dean, but he was stocky. Luckily, Dean was pretty strong. He bent down and slid an arm under Castiel’s legs, then the other under Castiel’s lower back, and lifted.

Castiel was lighter than he’d anticipated; he wondered if Gabriel had done that, maybe to make it easier for Gabriel to lift Castiel too. From what Dean could tell, there wasn’t much strength in Castiel’s legs: they flopped bonelessly over Dean’s left arm, as though Castiel wouldn’t or couldn’t control them. As he walked into the small bathroom, he suspected that it was most likely the latter. 

Undressing Castiel was pretty easy. Dean grabbed his pocketknife and sliced the filthy clothing off, tossing it aside. It would need to burned later, probably. He’d eventually burned the clothing he had been wearing in Purgatory. He was intending to leave Castiel’s boxers on, but it became immediately obvious that those were in even worse condition than anything else he was wearing.

“Ugh, Dude. Someday you’re going to owe me the world’s biggest cheeseburger for this,” Dean said. He wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of seeing Castiel’s junk, but the alternative was sitting around until Gabriel came back. And it didn’t seem right to let Castiel keep on stewing in his filth.

He sighed heavily and carefully sliced the boxers off too, keeping his eyes above Castiel’s waist wherever possible. He switched the water in the tub on and let it run, testing it now and then to make sure it wasn’t getting too hot. It took him back to when he used to do this for Sam. Of course, back then Dean had usually gotten in the tub _with_ Sam. It was just easier that way. He wasn’t about to get in the tub with Castiel.

“Alright, here we go. Easy goes, Cas.” He picked Castiel up again and slowly lowered the angel into the water. Castiel tensed and Dean froze, wondering if he was about to have another bout of wailing on his hands. But Castiel didn’t cry, so he resumed lowering Castiel into the water. Then he made the mistake of letting go.

Castiel’s head lolled to the side and he began to slide down. Dean realized what was happening a split second before Castiel’s head vanished beneath the water. He swore under his breath and lunged forward, grabbing Castiel’s shoulders and pulling him back up. Castiel just blinked at him, seemingly unphased by the fact that he’d nearly drowned – if he could drown now, that is.

It was then that the situation truly sank into Dean, and the weight of it was such that he slumped to his knees. Castiel was a _baby_ now. Gabriel would have to confirm, but Dean was pretty sure this situation wasn’t going to be fixed in the span of a few minutes. They weren’t that lucky. That meant Castiel was going to need round the clock care until… until when? Until he grew up? Until his grace returned to the point that it restored Castiel to his normal self?

Who knew how long that would take?

He knelt there for a couple of minutes, just breathing through the panic. When he felt slightly steadier, he propped Castiel up, grabbed the cheap motel soap, lathered up a washcloth, and started running it over Castiel’s skin. It should’ve been weird washing what was essentially a grown man, but Castiel was so out of it that it felt more like he was bathing an overgrown child – which, Dean supposed, was exactly what he was doing. 

“Dean? I’m back!”

“In here,” Dean called back.

Gabriel poked his head into the room and looked surprised. “You’re bathing him? Why?”

“Because he was filthy, and he reeked,” Dean said, annoyed. “Why didn’t you bath him?”

“I didn’t think about it,” Gabriel said. 

Dean sighed. That was the crux of the problem, wasn’t it? He dropped the filthy washcloth and stared at Castiel for a long moment. Caring for a child, caring for a _baby_ , it was hard. How the hell was he meant to teach Gabriel how to do it in the span of a few hours? He couldn’t. Christ, it had taken and Sam _weeks_ to get Castiel to understand how to start taking care of himself when he was falling during the Apocalypse. 

That was the problem with angels, though. They were just too used to having grace that did everything for them. Even something as obvious as the fact that a human, and possibly an angel with no grace who was depending on their vessel, couldn’t breathe under water. Would Gabriel have just let Castiel’s head slip under without reacting, thinking it would be okay? What would have happened to Castiel if he did?

He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm and turned to Gabriel. “I’m going to get Cas out of the bath. Then you and I need to have a long talk during which you’re going to tell me _everything_.”

“I’ll tell you what I can, but it’s not much. This has never happened before that I know of. I’m flying blind here,” said Gabriel. 

“Well, what you know is still more than what I know right now,” Dean snapped. “Toss in a pack of the diapers and some pajamas, would you?”

Moments later, the requested items literally came flying into the bathroom. Castiel took one look at them, widened his eyes, and – Dean flinched in a pre-emptive reaction – burst into tears. Dean shot a dirty look towards the bathroom door and sighed, leaning down to pull the plug. As the water drained out, he lifted Castiel out of the tub and set the angel down on a towel on the floor.

“It’s okay, Cas. Your brother is just being a dumb, stupid shithead,” Dean said. Remembering what had always made Sam giggle when he was in a bad mood, he gently tickled Castiel’s ribs. Castiel jumped, a very surprised look on his face, before he giggled. It was such a light-hearted, _happy_ sound that Dean had never heard from Castiel before, and right then and there Dean decided that he wanted – no, needed to hear more of it.

There was so little happiness in the world right now.

It wasn’t as awkward as he’d thought it would be, getting Castiel into a diaper. Dean wasn’t used to working with such large limbs, but Castiel lay back passively and let it happen. He only reacted when Dean held up the pajamas Gabriel had tossed to him. Instead of a shirt and pants, Gabriel had picked out a green nightgown. Dean was pretty sure those were for chicks, but the nightgown was a lot easier to put on than pants would’ve been.

He jumped in surprise when Castiel grabbed a handful of the material and tugged, eyes wide. He seemed to like the way the material felt judging by the way he gave Dean a gummy smile. Dean smiled back in spite of himself and picked Castiel up again, carrying him back into the outer room. Gabriel was seated on the other bed with an open bar of chocolate on his knee, though he wasn’t eating it.

“How long do you expect this to last?” Dean asked bluntly, gently setting Castiel down.

Gabriel shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.”

“Dude! You gotta give me something to work with!” Dean said.

“If I knew, don’t you think I’d tell you?” Gabriel snapped back. “ _I don’t know_! I’m an archangel and it’s taken me months to gain back even a scrap of grace. Castiel’s progress is going to be even slower. It could speed up with time or it might not. My best guess is that it’s going to take years, but that’s just a guess.”

Dean had to bite his tongue to keep himself from retorting in a way that would’ve caused Gabriel to blow up, and he only did it because he suddenly realized that Gabriel was _scared_. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down and looked down at Castiel, who had rolled onto his belly and was chewing on a corner of the pillowcase. This was new territory for both angels.

“Then what’s your plan?” Dean asked finally, keeping his voice calm.

Gabriel gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. “Don’t you get it, Dean-o? You. You’re my plan. The only plan I’ve got. And if you walk out, Cassie and I are both fucked.”


	3. Chapter 3

"Dude." That was the only word that Sam said, but the expression on his face spoke volumes. Dean couldn't exactly blame him.

He'd left Gabriel and Castiel alone for like twenty minutes, just long enough to go fetch Sam. Gabriel had been uncertain about bringing Sam around, but got that Dean and Sam were a packaged deal even if he wasn't sure about it. Dean had hoped that he wouldn't be gone long, but it took more effort to convince Sam to come with him than Dean had expected. He hadn't wanted to explain too much, because this was definitely a situation where seeing what was going on was easier, but it had taken mentioning Castiel and Gabriel by name before Sam finally agreed.

And now this. Dean had opened the door, innocently thinking everything was fine because all was quiet beyond said door, and been blasted in the face with the sound of Castiel wailing at the top of his lungs. Not that Dean could him: Castiel was flat on his back on the bed with Gabriel straddling his midsection. Dean slammed the door shut, realizing that Gabriel must have warded the room against sound, and wished that he had the time to take a picture of Sam's gobsmacked expression. Unfortunately, Dean didn't have the time to deal with his brother right now. 

Instead, he surged forward and barked, "Gabriel! What are you doing?!"

Gabriel froze. "Uh... he was hungry?"

"And you thought the solution to that was feeding him a cheeseburger?!" Dean rushed over to the bed and grabbed the burger out of Gabriel's hands. Judging by the mess on the lower half of Castiel's face, it looked like Gabriel had literally been shoving the burger into Castiel's mouth - probably expecting Castiel to take a bite. Which would have been understandable, considering how much Castiel had loved burgers, had it not been for the fact that Dean wasn't even sure if Castiel was capable of eating solid foods right now. And if he was, it would have to be cut up into _very_ small pieces.

"Dude," Sam said again. "What the hell?"

"Just give me a minute, Sam. Gabriel, off," Dean ordered, tossing the burger in the garbage. He sat on the bed and pulled Castiel up, shushing the angel and running his hand up and down Castiel's back. He'd noticed that Castiel seemed to find that kind of touch very soothing, and Gabriel had muttered something about wings the first time Dean had done it - though naturally, being Gabriel, he'd refused to elaborate.

"I thought you were dead," Sam said, looking at Gabriel.

Gabriel shoved his hands in his pockets and scowled back. "Not dead, no thanks to you or your brother."

Sam's eyebrows came together and he frowned deeply. "Hey, I took down Lucifer. I did my part."

Dean ignored the both of them, lowering his head and focusing on Castiel. He sighed as he studied the mess on Castiel's face, ruefully picking a stray onion off Castiel's chin. It didn't do much good: cheese, pickle juice and ketchup were smeared into Castiel's stubble. And Dean had just gotten him clean! He'd almost forgotten how messy babies could be. Depending on what happened in the next few hour, he had the strong suspicion that the next few years were going to be filled with _a lot_ of baths. It was probably telling that the thought didn't make him as depressed or upset as it should have. 

He used the hem of his own shirt to wipe Castiel's face as clean as he could for the time being. He'd have to shave Castiel later. Maybe Gabriel could make it so that Castiel's facial hair wouldn't grow for the next little while? That would be helpful. From what he'd seen of Castiel so far, he was every bit as squirmy as most babies were. The thought of trying to go near his face with a razor wasn't an appealing one. Dean really didn't want to find out what a baby angel would do if his face got nicked by a razor, because he was pretty sure the reaction wouldn't be good.

"Dean? What the hell are you doing?" Sam said loudly, sounding aghast.

"Sammy..." Dean looked over at his brother and sighed. He wanted to say he knew how Sam was going to react, but the truth was that he really didn't. It was like Sam had become a different person while Dean was in Purgatory; at the very least, that one year apart had completely screwed up their normal rhythm and Dean had no idea how to go about getting it back, or if that was even possible. 

"He's helping," Gabriel said. "Come on, _Sammy_." He smiled mockingly. "Let's go have a chat." He snapped his fingers, and suddenly both Sam and Gabriel were gone. Dean stared at the spot where they'd both been before he looked back down at Castiel.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "Is that why Gabriel was trying to feed you? I bet he didn't bring back any baby food... and frankly I'm not sure baby food is even enough for you. Shit, this s complicated." He ran his free hand through his hair and thought for a moment. He knew from the time he'd spent with Lisa that there was baby food you could make from scratch, and it was likely that those recipes could easily be amended to be nutrient enough for an adult's body - but hell if Dean remembered anything more than that. It wasn't like Ben was a baby, after all. That was mostly just idle chat Lisa had been repeating from her girl's nights.

So, time for the old standby. Dean got up and searched through the stuff Gabriel had brought back until he unearthed Cheerios and milk. He grabbed a coffee mug off the dresser and poured some milk in, then add a couple handfuls of Cheerios. He used a spoon to break up the Cheerios and make them into more of a mush, then stuck the mess into the microwave and turned it in on for ten seconds to warm it up a bit. It was something he used to feed Sam back when John would leave them to go on a hunt and the money was starting to run low. 

When the food was warm, he took the mug and a spoon, propped Castiel up with some pillows, and patiently fed Castiel the mixture. Castiel was obviously hungry, because Dean didn't even need to do the airplane for him. He readily opened his mouth and swallowed as soon as Dean had spooned some food in, then opened his mouth again immediately like a baby bird looking for food. Dean chuckled, because it really was kind of adorable.

By the time he’d finished feeding Castiel, Gabriel and Sam had returned. Sam had a very weird look on his face as folded his arms and took in Castiel for a second time. Dean eyed him, just waiting for the moment when Sam would say something stupid. That was, after all, something they had in common as brothers: both of them could be tactless assholes sometimes. 

Finally, Sam said, “So what’s the long term plan here?”

“What do you mean?” Dean said warily. 

“Uh, you can’t exactly hunt with… that,” Sam said, waving his hand in Castiel’s direction. “Based on what Gabriel said, it’s going to be a long time before Castiel is back to normal. What are you gonna do with him?”

“I’m going to take care of him, that’s what,” Dean said. It was the first time he’d acknowledged the decision out loud to another person, and it felt right. Gabriel looked extremely relived; Sam just looked kind of constipated, which meant he was pissed off. Dean mentally geared himself up for a fight.

“You?” Sam said, sounding skeptical, and that stung.

“Yes, me! Who the hell do you think took care of you when you were a kid? I wiped your ass more times than I can count, Sammy. If I can do it for you, I can do it for Cas,” Dean snapped. “Turns out it’s really not that different.”

“Uh, it’s totally different, Dean, and you know it. Cas isn’t a baby. He’s a _grown man_. How do you expect to go on hunts with him around? How do you expect to do _anything_ with him around? You’re just not thinking logically,” Sam said earnestly. “The best decision here is for Gabriel to take Cas and go hole up somewhere until they’re both back to normal.”

“That’s – wait, both?” Dean looked at Gabriel. “What do you mean _both_?!”

Gabriel shot Sam a dirty look, but spoke to Dean. “The same thing might have happened to me. Just a little,” he added at Dean’s incredulous expression. “I’m not like Cassie. Archangels are stronger than regular angels, and I have… _had_ a lot more grace at my disposal.” He sighed heavily. “Although I was also trapped there longer, so I didn’t come out completely unscathed… but I’m fine! Really.”

“That was probably the least convincing ‘I’m fine’ I’ve ever heard, and that includes all the bullshit Sam spouted off when he was addicted to demon blood,” Dean said flatly. Sam just rolled his eyes.

“Well, I am! I’m just… you know… low on juice. That’s all,” Gabriel said.

Dean looked at him for a moment, unimpressed. “So what, you’re like a teenager now? A teenaged angel? And you want me to _leave_ Cas with him?” He turned to Sam in disbelief.

“They’re brothers. They’ll be fine,” Sam said.

“Yeah, no,” Dean said, shaking his head. “Sorry, Sammy. That’s not happening.” 

“So what, you plan to drag Cas around with us on hunts?” Sam demanded.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead. But I’m not leaving Cas. I’m just not.” Dean set his jaw and stared his brother down. This wasn’t something he was willing to budge on no matter what Sam said. This wasn’t a stranger, or some woman he’d hooked up with. It was _Castiel_. 

Sam sighed and threw his hands up. “That’s just great, Dean. Just fucking great.” He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Gabriel flinched and Castiel began to cry.

“Comfort your brother,” Dean ordered Gabriel, before following Sam. He closed the door a lot more gently and took off after Sam. It wasn’t that difficult to catch up, mostly because Sam wasn’t walking that fast. Dean grabbed Sam’s arm and jerked him to a stop.

“Don’t touch me,” Sam snapped, jerking his arm free.

“What’s your problem?!” Dean barked. 

“My problem? Are you serious right now?” Sam asked, maybe a little too loudly. Dean caught a few heads turning in their direction. He glared at the nosy onlookers until they all looked away, then turned his glare in his brother’s direction. 

“Yes, I’m serious right now,” he hissed. “I know it’s weird, but we’re hunters. Weird is what we do.”

Sam huffed out a laugh. “You are unbelievable if you really think that’s what I’m pissed about.”

“Then what?!” Dean said, throwing his hands up.

“Amelia, Dean! That’s my problem! When you came back, you guilted me into going hunting with you again. You made me feel like shit for stopping and building a new life! And now you want to turn around and do the same thing with two angels? You want to play Daddy?” Sam’s eyes blazed with anger. “That’s not just weird, it’s sick.”

Dean punched him in the face. He didn’t mean to; his temper with Sam’s attitude had been shorter since he returned, and it was instinct. Then he grabbed the collar of Sam’s shirt and hauled him in. “Look, Cas can’t help what’s happened to him right now,” he snarled in Sam’s face. “He fucking _turned against heaven_ for us, Sam. Cas has fucked up at times, there’s not question about that. But after everything he’s done, the least I can do is not abandon him to an archangel who doesn’t have the slightest idea of how to care for a baby.”

He thrust Sam back, letting go. “If you don’t want to help, that’s fine. Go back to Amelia. I’ll take care of Cas and Gabe on my own.” He turned on his heel and stormed back to the room, leaving Sam behind in the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

“I didn’t mean to cause a fight between you and Sam.”

Dean paused in the middle of taking another bite of his cheeseburger. Castiel had been changed and was now contentedly sleeping, so he was taking advantage of the momentary quiet to eat. But it looked like his meal wasn’t quite as peaceful as he’d hoped it would be. He sighed and lowered his burger, twisting around to look at the two beds. Gabriel sat on the empty one, staring at his feet.

“What?” Dean said, already resigned to what was shaping up to be another uncomfortable conversation. It was hard to believe that two nights ago, his biggest concern had been whether or not he’d be able to find Castiel. And now, he’d basically adopted two angels. Sometimes he missed the good old days, where angels were just dicks with wings and not Dean’s responsibility.

“I didn’t think Sam would react that way,” Gabriel went on, still determinedly not meeting Dean’s eyes. “I thought… I dunno. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me.”

“Sam can be a bitch sometimes,” Dean said. He popped a fry in his mouth.

Gabriel sighed. “But he’s right too, isn’t he? You’re a hunter. You can’t hunt with us around. It’s not safe for Cassie. Maybe I should just take him and leave.”

“I swear to god, Gabriel, if I wake up to find you two gone in the middle of the night, I will hunt you down. And you will _not_ like what happens when I find you,” Dean snarled. His stomach fluttered uncomfortably at the idea. He’d only just gotten Castiel back. 

“I didn’t say I was going to do it. It was just a suggestion,” Gabriel said defensively.

“Yeah, well, you can take those kinds of suggestions and cram them up your ass. You and Cas aren’t going anywhere,” Dean said, adopting the sternest tone he could muster.

“Me and Cas?” Gabriel repeated. He finally looked over at Dean. And Dean may not have known him well, but there was no mistaking the vulnerable expression plastered all over Gabriel’s face at that moment. Dean sighed and took another bite of his burger to fortify himself, and to give himself an extra moment to think of what to say. Words weren’t exactly his strong point, but _something_ needed to be said.

He wasn’t completely sold on keeping Gabriel around, but nor was he sure about sending what was essentially a super-powered teenager out into the world. Gabriel got up to enough mischief when he was considered an adult; Dean couldn’t imagine what he would be capable of right now. Besides that, he didn’t want to think about what would happen if heaven, hell or the Leviathans got a hold of Gabriel. 

“You and Cas,” he confirmed finally. “Look, you can probably take care of yourself. I’m aware of that. You’re way more used to Earth than Cas is, and you’re not… you know… a baby.” He waved a limp hand in Gabriel’s direction. “Teenagers have shitty impulse control, so as long as you don’t kill anyone or explode any volcanoes or anything like that, you’re pretty free to go.

“But you’re still Cas’s big brother, and I know he still recognizes you. He had a hard time when he got cut off from heaven. Having you around would probably be good for him. And I suspect it would be good for you too. Not having any family around for centuries has gotta suck,” Dean said. Gabriel had practically spelled that out in huge, block letters when he locked Sam and Dean into those television shows. 

He leaned forward and shrugged. “Besides, if Sam isn’t going to stick around, then it would be nice to have help with Cas. I get that you’re not familiar with humans, but you should know that babies are a lot of work. They require round the clock care, basically. Cas won’t be any different.”

“You’re not afraid I’ll kill you again?” Gabriel asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Dean shrugged. “I figure you can’t. Who else would be willing to take care of Cas?” He crammed the last of his burger into his mouth and chewed smugly, raising both eyebrows at Gabriel. Whether Gabriel recognized it or not, Dean was basically essential to both angels now.

“That’s true. Though I’m sure I could mind control some humans into doing it,” Gabriel said.

“You could, but you won’t,” Dean growled. “Hands off humanity, Gabriel. I mean it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Gabriel waved a hand. “So… what does this mean for you hunting?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. We can make it work, if Sam wants to. When we find a hunt, he and I can take care of it while you watch Cas,” Dean said decisively. “Especially if we find somewhere to set up base camp.” It had been a long time since they’d had that. John Winchester hadn’t really believed in needing an actual house to call a home. The Impala had been his, and Sam’s and Dean’s, home.

But that wasn’t realistic with a baby. Dean remembered all too well what it had been like on those nights when John was driving on old dirt roads or through repeated construction sites. Getting baby Sam to sleep had been next to impossible, and dealing with a cranky baby Sam had been a nightmare. He had no desire to go through that again anytime soon.

He didn’t know where they’d find a base camp. Before Bobby died, the answer would’ve been obvious. And they could probably go back to Sioux Falls and figure out a way to get their hands on Bobby’s house, especially with Gabriel around. But Dean didn’t want to do that. It wouldn’t be the same without Bobby there, and Sioux Falls wasn’t centrally located enough for it to make sense.

“And if Sam doesn’t want to?” Gabriel asked, drawing Dean’s attention back to him.

Dean shrugged. “I hunted alone while Sam was at law school. I can do it again,” he said. He didn’t like hunting alone, but he could do it if he had to. Maybe with two angels to deal with, he wouldn’t want to hunt at all. 

Gabriel stared at him with narrowed eyes for several seconds before he slowly nodded. “Alright. Sounds good to me. I’ll stick around for a while then, but only because you’re the only person who can take care of Cas the way he deserves.”

“Sure,” Dean said, not believing that for a second. He crinkled up the bag that his burger and fries had come in and tossed it in the trash, then patted his stomach and sighed. He’d have to talk to Sam again, but that could wait. It would be better to give his brother a few hours, if not longer, to cool off. Sam had a hell of a temper, but the only person he’d ever held a grudge against was their father. Once Sam calmed down, he’d start thinking about all the things that Castiel had done for them and realizing that this really was the best solution.

Or maybe this would be the time where Sam actually did what Dean had told him to do, said to hell with hunting and took off. Dean didn’t know. He hoped that wasn’t the case, but he’d figured out a long time ago that you couldn’t make Sam stay somewhere that Sam didn’t want to be. Trying to do so was an exercise in futility, and would only serve to make Sam surly and even more pissed off.

“I’m going to take a shower,” he told Gabriel, and went into the bathroom. He stripped off his clothes, climbed into the shower, cranked on the water and then just… stood there. For several minutes. Staring up into the spray and contemplating how his life had ended up like this.

He’d retrieved his bag from the room he and Sam had been sharing earlier, so at least he had a clean change of clothes when he finally climbed out. No sooner had he hauled on a fresh pair of boxers than he heard Castiel let out a shriek. It wasn’t a ‘having loads of fun with my big brother’ shriek either, but more of a ‘I’m going to die if you don’t help me in the next ten seconds’ shriek. Dean dropped his towel and sprinted out the door.

“I didn’t do anything!” Gabriel blurted out the second he saw Dean, which meant that he probably had done something. But at the moment, Dean didn’t particularly care.

“You’ve warded the room against sound, right?” Dean asked, already rushing over to Castiel. He barely listened to Gabriel’s acknowledgement, too busy leaning over Castiel and doing a quick inventory to see what was wrong. The diaper was dry, not wet or soiled, which meant that he was most likely hungry. 

It might’ve seemed strange for hunger to frighten Castiel so much, but it only took Dean a few seconds to figure out why. Hunger was a foreign sensation to an angel. Castiel had only dealt with it a couple of times before, mostly because Dean and Sam had tried to keep him regularly fed after food became a necessity for him last time. They were going to have to get Castiel on a schedule fast.

He sat down on the bed and pulled Castiel up into a hug. “Ssshh, Cas. It’s okay. I’m here. I’m right here,” he said into Castiel’s ear. “You’re just hungry. Maybe even thirsty.”

“I got bottles,” Gabriel volunteered, jumping up.

“If you got bottles, why were you trying to feed him a cheeseburger earlier?” Dean asked.

Gabriel shrugged. “I didn’t know what to put in them. What do babies eat?”

“Milk, usually. But that won’t be enough for Cas.” Dean thought for a moment. “Get some milk and some mashed potatoes. Can you do that?”

“Gone,” Gabriel said, and then he really was. Dean blinked at the spot where he’d been and then shook his head, returning his attention to Castiel.

“Hey there,” he said gently, realizing that Castiel had calmed enough that he wasn’t screaming anymore. He stared up at Dean with huge blue eyes. Dean smiled back, realizing that Castiel was kind of cute this way. It was easy to forget he was actually a soldier of heaven.

He sighed and wiped Castiel’s face. “This is kinda screwed up, Cas. I can’t argue with Sam on that front. But I’m gonna figure it out, okay? I won’t abandon you or Gabriel, even though your brother is still kind of a dick.”

Castiel giggled.

“Yeah, you like that? You like me calling your brother a great big dick?” Dean said in a goofy voice, making a face. He was inordinately pleased when Castiel giggled louder. For as long as he’d known Castiel, the angel had always been very serious. It was a rare moment when Castiel actually lightened up and smiled, and he seemed like a relatively happy baby all things considered.

He wondered, this time around, if they could make it so that Castiel had a relatively happy upbringing. Dean’s childhood had sucked, but at least he’d had one. Sort of. Angels didn’t get any kind of childhood at all. They were just zapped into being, fully formed and ready to obey. No wonder all of them were such dicks and took everything so seriously. He didn’t want Castiel to be like that; he wanted to show Castiel that sometimes life could be fun.

He got up and did some more poking through the stuff Gabriel had brought. Some of it was useless and not at all what Castiel would need; he’d have to get Gabriel to get rid of it later. But he managed to unearth a couple of toys and, better yet, a teddy bear. It was very soft to the touch, with brownish red fur, a white belly and paws, and round black marbles for eyes. Dean stroked it for a few seconds, remembering the teddy bear he used to have that had perished in the fire that killed Mary.

That teddy bear had been his constant companion for the first four years of his life. Dean had a very vivid memory of crying for it one night and his father just breaking down and _screaming_ at him that it, like everything else, was gone. Then John had stormed out. When he returned, he’d come with a stuffed elephant – but only one. Dean had quietly sacrified the stuffed toy to baby Sammy and never said another word about the subject.

“Ba,” Castiel said behind him, and Dean startled.

“Sorry, little dude,” he said, turning around. He moved closer and held the stuffed bear out to Castiel, curious to see what would happen.

Castiel cocked his head like a puppy, looking at the bear with a wrinkled brow. Slowly, like he thought the bear might suddenly jump at him, he reached out to touch it. He gasped when his fingers made impact with the fur, eyes widening in wonder. Dean had to smile as he handed the bear over and watched Castiel clasp it against his chest and rub his cheek against its fur. 

“This is a teddy bear,” Dean told him, though he wasn’t sure if Castiel would even know what that meant. He didn’t know how much Castiel could understand him, or if everything he said sounded like gibberish. Were they going to have to teach Castiel to talk, even?

He sighed and sat down on the other bed, watching Castiel coo to himself and rub his face against the bear. At least he seemed to like it, and Dean was glad that Gabriel’d had the forethought to get it. All little kids deserved to have a stuffed toy if they wanted one. Castiel’s life hadn’t been easy or fun up until this point, so he deserved all the stuffed toys in the world as far as Dean was concerned.

Gabriel popped back into the room as suddenly as he’d left, bearing more milk and a steaming bowl. “Here you go,” he said, handing the items off to Dean. Then he was gone again.

Dean narrowed his eyes at the spot where Gabriel had been, at once curious to know but apprehensive to know. “Your brother is gonna be a pain in my ass,” he said to Castiel. How the hell Dean was going to wrangle a teenaged archangel was beyond him.

He stirred the bowl of mashed potatoes and then tasted them. They were soft and creamy, perfect for a baby. Then he sat on the edge of Castiel’s bed and scooped some onto the spoon. Castiel didn’t want to try them at first; he whined and hid his face against the bear. So Dean resorted to what he’d done when Sam was a kid: he made loud rumbling noises, swirled the spoon around, and then popped it into Castiel’s open mouth when Castiel was suitably distracted.

Once Castiel tasted them, he had no problem demolishing the rest of the bowl.

With the mashed potatoes gone, Dean poured some of the milk into a bottle and ran it under hot water to warm it up. A hotel room really wasn’t feasible, he thought again. They needed somewhere with a kitchen, and preferably a larger bathroom with a bigger bath. It would be good too if Castiel could have his own room and somewhere peaceful he could go for naps. 

“You deserve a home, Cas,” he muttered to himself. They all did.

He turned away from the sink to find that Castiel was watching him. Dean held his gaze as he walked back over to the bed. Castiel lifted a hand as he approached, and Dean tensed in surprise when Castiel touched him on the upper arm. Even over Dean’s shirt, Castiel’ss hand slotted into place over the handprint perfectly. Dean exhaled in surprise, realizing that this confirmed it. Castiel definitely remembered him. How much Castiel remembered was up for debate, but he knew Dean.

“De,” Castiel said.

“Yeah, Cas. That’s right. I’m Dean,” he said, sinking down onto the bed. “Want some milk?”

Castiel blinked curiously at the bottle and willingly opened his mouth this time. It took Dean a moment to figure out the best way to go about this, but finally he propped Castiel’s upper body up on some pillows and leaned over him to hold the nipple to Castiel’s lips. Castiel latched on, though it took him a few moments to figure out what to do to actually get at the milk. When he got his first mouthful, he grunted in surprise and Dean chuckled.

“Good man, that’s right. Drink it all up, Cas,” he said, watching as Castiel swallowed. Honestly, Dean had no idea what was going to happen from here on out. He hoped that Sam would come around, and that Gabriel would grow to be less skittish, and that the four of them would find a place to squat together. But even if that didn’t happen, he was confident that he and Castiel were going to be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


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